Thank You For Calling
by LadyFerocious
Summary: Eren Jaeger has been going through life with no clear goal in mind, just trying to make it through life and not be afraid of his own shadow. After a traumatic experience, he doesn't know if he'll ever be as strong as he wanted to be. But after one phone call from his job, Eren decides to look into the caller, someone he's sure he's known from his past, Levi Ackerman.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 We Meet Again

"Hello, thank you for calling this is Eren Jaeger speaking how may I help you?"

It had been a few months since Eren has been working at this call center; it wasn't really something that he enjoyed but it did help him to pay the bills. He honestly didn't speak to customers over the phone very much since he was mostly on email duty and even chats however lately they've been putting him on more calls which he absolutely hated at least when he was on emails and chats he didn't have to speak to anybody directly.

Thankfully, the lady on the phone seems to be very nice and sweet and it was a very quick call as she just wanted to pay her bill. After helping her out with that are inside he really just wanted to leave and go home and just relax

_Ring_ _Ring_. Oh great the phone rang again. Eren sighed again and then unmuted the headset and then once again try to plaster a fake smile on his face; even though he knew the customer couldn't see him, it helps with his tone. He repeated the greeting.

"Hello and thank you for calling my name is Eren how may I help you?"

The person on the phone said, "Hi I just need to order some hair supplies do you know if there are any good deals available? Be honest with me kid."

Eren was a little surprised by the voice it was just so deep and it sounded almost like velvet. He immediately loves this man's voice, in a way it sounded almost aggressive yet gentle at the same time. Strange.

"Of course sir we have many deals on certain products can you please give me your email address so I can look up your account. As Eren kept the man talking, he was clicking away like mad trying to get the man's account and of course get the best deals for him as long as the man was willing to be nice Aaron was going to be nice back. Within reason of course.

Eren had gotten the man's information and he helped him to find some good deals on hair care products and Combs and brushes and anything else that the man needed Eren found out that the man's name was Levi Ackerman. Eren really likes his name and for some reason, Eren could honestly think that it sounded familiar but he could not put his finger on it.

"Okay, sir have I completed the reason for your call today?" Eren waited patiently for Levi to say yes or no. Eren really hoped that he was able to help him, and for some reason, the boy just really wanted to please this man.

Levi's grunted," Yeah I think that'll just about do it. Thanks again kid I really appreciated it and I'm sorry I didn't have my credit card information on hand just yet I just got this business from my mother and I want to make sure I'm doing everything right."

Eren nodded out of habit and he said, "That sounds wonderful I really do hope that everything goes well in your business I'm sure you're going to do just great."

Levi chuckled. " Well I'm going to try in this area it's pretty hard LA can be pretty harsh but thanks again for your help Brat, you have a good rest of your night."

Eren said softly," You have a good night to Levi."

" Thanks again Eren." And then leave I hung up.

For some reason, Eren was in a daze. Usually, he wasn't slow after these calls, he tried to get them done as quickly as possible but as he looked at the time he noticed he speaking to Levi for almost 30 minutes holy cow!

Eren groaned. He knew he was going to get chewed out by this from his supervisor Nanaba. The calls were supposed to be way shorter than this even though it was a good call and it's not like him and Levi ever argued or anything like that but Eren had to be very careful; this is why he hated calls so much.| 

* * *

After saying goodbye to everybody Eren had decided to drive home straight home since he did have some leftovers that he could eat the whole way he couldn't help but think about the call which was a bit strange usually Eren try to forget about the calls as much as possible the only times he really dwelled on them when they were really bad calls but this one was actually very nice once in a while it would feel like to leave I was talking to a friend over the phone and this was usually when the customer was just so nice

But what but what was even grabbing errands attention, even more, was Levi's address Eren noticed that Levi was not very far from him Aaron lived in the valley which wasn't very far from Los Angeles at all an errand swore that he recognized the street names as Eren thought about it, even more, he realized he was just a 30-minute drive away

Eren shook his head he realized that it did sound kind of creepy but he couldn't help but actually want to go to Levi's business as they talked Levi mentioned that he owned a hair salon and that he had been doing hair for a good few years but this was the first time he was actually going to be owning his own salon. Eren felt Intrigued especially since it had been a very long time since he had his haircut lately he had been keeping it long but he also wanted it to look neater than it usually did

" Yeah I'll just tell him that I want a haircut you won't be creepy at all" Eren said out loud to himself you still couldn't help but feel a little creeped out but all he was going to do was get a haircut plus he really wanted to see Levi again Eren still couldn't put his finger on it but his gut was really telling him to just go to the hair salon many of the calls they got were in the state of California and sometimes couldn't help but notice that the person he was speaking to live close by.

Of course he never really thought about actually going to that person's house or their place of business that would be just too much and he wasn't allowed to write down a customer's information and he surely didn't do that with Levi but what was intriguing Eren the most was that he instantly remember the address especially since Eren had such a horrible memory nowadays especially ever since the incident...

Eren almost whimpered he really did not want to remember that awful time in his life. It wasn't even that long ago and that's why it's sometimes hard for him to get over it. He still wondered if he'll ever really get over it at all.

Thankfully Eren was able to get a parking spot in the small parking lot at his apartment once he turned off the engine he patted into his home his little studio apartment took off his shoes and plopped onto his bed he contemplated going to bed right away and just skip dinner but he decided to just take off his clothes and get into his pajamas and check his emails and social media before he decided to call it a night. He still kept thinking about Levi and about going to his Salon the next day thankfully Eren has the day off he just hadn't been in the mood to take any overtime lately.

The boy couldn't help but think of what he was going to say when he met this Levi's guy he couldn't help but wonder what did this man look like and it honestly kept disturbing Eren more and more with how obsessive he was becoming of going he knew it was because he was uncovering a hidden memory ever since the incident where it literally got beaten out of him. He just knew this would be something else very important and that's why he decided to go if the man really did not want to see Eren then Eren would leave and he would just never go there again. Simple as that.

Turning over on his side Eren couldn't help but really hope and pray that seeing this guy would help him to uncover some more memories and just and just help somehow.

The next day saw Eren driving down the 101 Freeway to LA, he was doing it. He was going to see that hair salon. His stomach raged with butterflies, but he also felt in his gut that he just had to do this. Once he got to the strip mall, he couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. He had been here before… He just knew it.

He parked his Honda and took a look around. It was bigger than an average strip mall, but he still marveled how shiny and new everything looked. His eyes widened once he saw the hair salon.

'Ackerman's Hair Care'. It suddenly clicked in Eren's head. His mother used to work there! He hadn't been here in ages!

With a newfound sense of excitement, the boy dashed to the salon and as he pulled at the door his heart dropped at realizing it was closed. Eren bit his lip, tears stinging his eyes, and then he jumped once a he felt a hand touch his shoulder.

"Oh!, I'm sorry sweetie, the salon is closed for today." A petite young woman apologized as she steadied Eren who had yelped and clutching his chest like he had a heart attack.

Eren suddenly blew a sigh of relief. He apologized as well for being so jumpy, noticing how short this young lady was. He also noticed her belly protruding. "Wow, you're pregnant."

The short lady laughed as Eren blushed realizing what he just said. "Yes I am! I'm still expecting in a few months, by the way, my name is Petra!" she extended her hand, and Eren shook it gently.

Just as Eren was about to ask why and when would the salon open, Petra said," Right now the owner is hosting a fight in his MMA gym next door."

The boy blinked. MMA? He then stretched his head and finally noticed the MMA gym just a few feet from the salon. When the hell did that get there!

Eren gasped. Now he remembered, he used to frequent here when he was little, sometimes his mom and dad would take him to learn martial arts. He believed it was a karate school at the time since MMA wasn't really popular yet.

Petra nodded. "Oh yes, well, I should really say he's in the fight. Do you want to come in and check it out? It's free! It really was just supposed to be a light sparring, but Levi always tends to get men so riled up they want to challenge him!" The woman shook her head with a tired smile.

Eren felt like his eyes were about to pop out of his skull. What the hell? So the owner of this salon was also the owner of this MMA gym?! The boy felt like he was in a daze as Petra led him inside where he could people screaming and yelling in throes of excitement seeing men pummel the living daylights out of each other. Eren barely glanced around, it seemed like the fight was just barely about to start.

He didn't catch the name of the challenger, but he heard the announcer over the loudspeakers say, "And fighting out of Los Angels California, weighing in at 150 pounds, he stands at 5 foot 3 inches, Humanity's Strongest, Levi AAAAAAAAckerman!"

Eren peered over people as best he could, but he could still see the two men in t Octagon circle each other as the bell rang, he saw one of the men who seemed quite tall compared to the dark-haired man in the blue corner. The taller also had a green mohawk and had the smuggest look on his face that made Eren already want him to lose.

He could hear most people cheering for this Levi, and Eren was enraptured by this mans prowess, he reminded Eren of a jungle cat, fast like a cheetah, but strong like a panther. Levi lunged at the Mohawk guy after giving him a perfect punch combination and catching the challenger in his thick chin with a swift but powerful uppercut. Eren's jaw dropped off his face as the crowd erupted in applause.

Surprisingly the challenger didn't pass out, but he did wobble and Eren could've sworn the man's eyes rolled in the back of his head. Levi circled the man and to anyone else, it would've seemed like the shorter man was getting cocky, but to Eren, he saw absolute confidence, and _dominance_ exudes off the man.

Once the challenger grabbed his bearings, which Levi seemed so kind to do, He tried to do a takedown by going for Levi's legs. A big mistake.

Eren almost climaxed when he Levi jump in the air and kneed that Buffon right in his face, and then the crowd really roared. This time the Mohawk fell to the ground and he stayed down.

As the announcer declared Levi to be the winner via Knock out, Eren took a much better look at Levi, He could see the man's pale skin glistening in the strobe lights, the shiny jet black hair, that undercut, and those cold cloudy eyes…

No way…

"It can't be…" Eren whispered, his voice lost to the roars and echo of the crowd.

Petra clapped and cheered herself. "Whoo! Levi has done it again! And this fight was barely 30 seconds, he needs to learn to go a bit easier on these guys! So Eren, how did you like the fight?" She turned to the boy and couldn't help but laugh at his gaping expression.

She was about to make a light joke at him until Eren asked," Can I meet him?"

Petra raised an eyebrow. She was a bit surprised by Eren's enthusiasm, but maybe the young man just wanted Levi to train him? The boy seemed a bit starstruck, but she felt like it was more than that…

Humming, Petra said, "I suppose you can meet him now if you want, I see he's getting out of the cage, was there something you wanted to ask him?

Eren nodded his head with tight lips. So Petra led him over to the sidelines as they saw Levi heading there way.

Just as Eren was thinking maybe he should wait until Levi changed out his fighter trunks and took a shower or something, he already heard Petra calling the man over. Eren's heart jumped in his throat as he saw the man approach them, and it all seemed like slow motion…

Eren stayed stone still in his spot next to Petra waving and smiling at Levi saying something along the lines of, "This kid wants to talk to you!"

All of a sudden Eren heard a deep smooth voice say, "Well brat, how can help you?"

And then, Eren couldn't see. Everything was blurry. All head could see were mishappen blobs, and hear concerned voices asking him if he was alright.

"Oh my goodness sweetie, are you alright?" Petra gasped, holding onto the boy's shoulders. All of sudden the young man started crying. But why?

Levi just awkwardly stood there a little surprised that this kid was crying at the sight of him. What did he do exactly? "Hey kid, I know I have resting bitch face, but I'm not trying to scare you or anything. I did just get out of a fight after all…"

Petra rolled her eyes. She Levi meant well, but he could really suck at comforting people sometimes. Just as she was about to scold him, Eren spoke.

"I-It's you… L-Levi, oh my God…" Eren wobbled a little closer to Levi bringing his face closer, while the man stiffened, not quite sure what this brat was just to do.

"Hey, watch it, kid. I'm not too tired to knock your teeth out, don't try anything funny."

Petra sighed then was about to say something but then she smiled when she saw Levi hand Eren one of the smaller towels to blow his nose and wipe his face. "I guess I'll leave you two alone, have fun catching up." She noticed Levi giving her a pleading look but she just wagged her finger at him and left them too it. She honestly had no idea what was going on, but she knew she would all of the details later.

Levi sighed, ok brat, let's step into my office. You can sit at my desk while I grab a quick shower. When Levi rebuilt this place, he had them build a small personal bathroom with a small shower and Levi absolutely loved his own private shower at the gym. Plus this way, the brat wouldn't embarrass himself in front of people snotting everywhere.

Eren blew his nose and followed Levi then patiently waited for him to be done with his shower which was really quick. The boy squirmed in his seat, beginning to feel embarrassed at crying out of nowhere like that. The chair was kind of comfy, it was wooden but had a leather cushion attached to it.

Eren almost jumped when Levi sat in his office chair. The man had put on a black tank top and black workout shorts. Levi eyed the brat wearily, trying to figure out how to start the conversation. It had only been about a month since he had this gym, and he was already getting a lot of customers. A lot of young guys wanted Levi to train them so Levi figured that was what the brat wanted and if that was the case Levi charged a hefty fee which he doubted the brat could pay. Levi really hoped the kid wasn't some weirdo though, he was way too pretty for that, even with the scruffy 5 o clock shadow the boy sported.

"So, did you enjoy the fight?" Levi clasped his hands together, watching the boy closely.

Breaking out of his daze Eren nodded. "Oh yes, it was incredible! I mean, holy shit you destroyed that guy!" Eren cleared his throat after talking. He could feel that his face was heating up and he nervously weaved his fingers through his long hair.

"Thanks, I try to put assholes in there place and try to put on a good show too. Did you want to join?" Levi narrowed his eyes the longer he looked at this kid. He couldn't help but get a feeling about him…

Eren chuckled, "Well, now that you mentioned it, I wouldn't mind, but that's not why I came here, you see, you and I spoke on the phone last night."

Now Levi's eyes shot open. "We were?"

Eren nodded. "Yeah, when you were ordering stuff for the Salon."

Levi blinked. Holy shit, no way this was the- "You're the call center brat!"

Blushing hard Eren laughed. "Yeah, that's me!"

"Well… Shit kid am I in trouble or something? Did they sent you here to collect or what?" Levi was half-joking but he always saw call center people as being in another country or something, he honestly never met someone he spoke over the phone like that in real life before.

Eren shook his head. "No, you see, the place where I work is actually in the Valley, so it's only about 30 minutes from here. I came because I recognized this address from when I was little and then I recognized your name… Do you remember me at all?"

Holy cow what a day. Levi looked this young man up and down slowly trying to place him. That feeling inside of him only grew. "Who… Are you?"

Eren smiled gently. Not surprised Levi forgot about him. "I'm Eren. Eren Jaeger. You used to babysit me sometimes. Your mother owned the Salon next door. My mother used to work there with her…"

Now Levi was floored. Damn, he knew when he moved back here to this part of LA it may bring up some stuff from the past but… Now that he looked at Eren even more, he could recognize him now with shorter hair, a clean-shaven face, and chubbier cheeks…"

"Eren… Jaeger… Your mother was Carla… Am I right?" It was all coming back to him now. Levi was a teenager, and Eren was a little boy when Levi would sometimes watch over him when their moms were working in the Salon.

Levi got up from his desk and approached Eren. He stood right in front of the boy and he bent over to look deep into his eyes. He could see the tired sadness swimming deep in them, but he would also see that faint spark of hope in there as well.

"What happened to you kid?" Levi breathed. He lifted his hand and before he knew it, Levi was gently caressing the boy's face. The stubble on his cheeks gently scratching his palm.

With that sad smile still on his face, Eren simply said, "A lot happened." 

* * *

Levi watched as Eren munched on some tempura rolls. After realizing how he knew Eren from back in the day, Levi wanted to treat the boy and properly catch up. He figured the best way to do that would be to go out to eat. He saw that Eren seemed shy and nervous, so Levi assured him that he would pay, and when he suggested sushi, the boy's eyes lit up. Levi knew he made the right choice.

There were many different sushi rolls on the table and Eren went to _town._ He was pouring soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, whatever he could. The boy started eating some beef too and Levi noticed he hadn't completely finished with the roll in his mouth yet.

"Slow down brat, the food isn't gonna run away." Levi ate his own tempura roll and was glad to see Eren chew his food a lot more.

"Ah! Sorry, I just realized how starved I was!" Eren flushed again and starting eating a lot slower. He didn't want to seem like a gluttonous pig in front of his idol.

Levi chuckled. "It's alight kid, I was young once too I get it. How old are you now by the way?"

"Im 19!" Eren said just barely swallowing some sashimi. "What about you?"

Levi smirked. "Guess."

Humming to himself, Eren said, "Well… I remember you were a teenager when I was little so… You've gotta be in your 30's by now right? You look much younger though! LIke, you look at least 25 or younger!"

Levi relaxed further in his seat. "Thanks, brat. I'm about 36 right now, I'll be turning 37 later this year." He chuckled when he saw Eren make a little "whoa" sound. Levi lifted his eyebrow and teased, "Is that too old for you?"

Again Eren's cheeks blazed red and Levi was getting worried the boy would pass out soon. Levi then put his hand on Eren's and gently assured the boy he was only teasing.

Eren at first looked at their hands then he looked back up at Levi, his heart pounding hard in his chest. Levi's eyes were always so intense. He didn't expect it when the man asked if he had a girlfriend.

"Uh, I- what?" Real intelligent Jaeger!

Raising an eyebrow Levi repeated, "Do you have a girlfriend? A hot young man like you has to have one, or least a side chick or something."

Shaking his head vehemently Eren sputtered, "Nuh-uh, no way! I'm single!" he laughed nervously.

Levi shook his head too. "Damn. Now that amazes me. You're young and beautiful, you should have girls and even guys ripping their clothes off at the sight of you brat."

Gaping like a fish Eren just stared at Levi. He never thought of himself as that attractive before. Even his ex-girlfriend never praised Eren so much, and yet here was a _man_ telling him he was beautiful!?

Levi then patted Erens hand. "Hey kid, don't mind me. I'm not trying to come off as weird or anything, I just wanted to be honest. You're a gorgeous young man, and it seems like you need to be reminded of that."

"Are you gay?"

Levi took his hand away from Eren. When he did that the boy said frantically, "I don't mean it in a bad way! It's just, I think I remember you going out on dates with guys when we were younger…"

Letting out a breath of relief, Levi decided to clarify that he was Bi. I've dated both. I mostly lean towards men though."

Eren nodded. "Ok, why's that?"

"Cuz women are fucking crazy," Levi smirked at seeing Eren bark out in laughter.

They both decided to call it a night, and as they both stood out of Titan Sushi, Levi turned to Eren. "So, you doing anything tomorrow?"

Eren shook his head. "No, tomorrow is another day off for me. Why?"

"I wanna cut your hair."

Eren blinked at Levi. Before he could say anything, Levi elaborated. "What I mean is, I'm not going to chop it all off because you actually look really fucking good with long hair. It frames your face beautifully, and it's full and thick so it looks like you have this gorgeous mane." Levi stepped closer to Eren and gently ran his fingers through the boys hair.

Blushing for the umpteenth time that night, Eren muttered, "Thank you…"

Levi also gently caressed Eren's face where the slight beard was. The man murmured, "I just want to treat it, make it neater. I could also do something about the little beard you got going on here too. Clean you up a little bit."

Eren gulped then whispered, "Ok…"

Levi's smoky eyes then connected with Eren's and in the same low tone, Levi whispered, "I love making men handsome. And I love bringing the handsome out of every man. Don't even worry about the price, this one's on the house. Come by the salon tomorrow at 12 pm, we could even go to lunch afterward, or whatever you wanna do. I'll take care of you. Sound good?"

Eren nodded. And before he realized what he was doing, Eren wrapped his arms around Levi squeezing tight. He nuzzled Levi's head and whispered, "Thank you."

Levi was a little surprised at first, then he slowly wrapped his arms around the boy. "You're welcome brat. Do you have food at home?"

Eren nodded against Levi's head. He had some ramen soups. That counted as food right? He couldn't really afford much else.

"Hmmm." Levi let it drop for right now. Tomorrow they could maybe go for a food run. Levi had the feeling Eren didn't really take care of himself. Well, that was gonna change.

They finally let each other go and got in Levi's black Jaguar. Eren almost drooled when he first saw the man's car.

Levi drove them back to the Salon where Eren's car was parked. Before the boy got in Levi said text me when you get home, so I know you're home safe."

Eren's face widened into a smile. "I will. Goodnight Levi"

"Goodnight Eren." Levi stood there watching the boy drive out onto the street. He kept watching until the Honda was no longer in sight. 

* * *

When Eren parked, he got inside his dingy little apartment and plopped himself on his bed. The day had been a lot better than he thought it would be. He suddenly remembered to text Levi.

**Eren: Hey! I'm home safe! Thanks again for the sushi! C u tomrrow! +sushi emjoi+ :)**

He didn't have to wait long for a text back.

**Levi: You're welcome brat. Glad you're alright. I'll see you tomorrow, goodnight. *thumbs up***

Eren's face was hurting from smiling so much. For once there was something to look forward to. _Someone _to look forward too.

Levi.


	2. Getting to know you

Chapter 2: Getting to know you

The next morning, Eren woke up with a sense of peace, and excitement. He wondered why at first, until he remembered yesterday.

_Levi…_ That's right. Eren was going to go see him today! Eren checked his phone and noticed it was already 11 am, he usually slept in. He began to panic when he remembers that Levi said to get to the Salon by 12 pm, so he jumped out of bed and scrambled to get ready.

As he made to the bathroom to brush his teeth, Eren noticed he got a text. He grinned from ear to ear to see it was Levi.

**Levi: Good morning Brat. I was thinking you should come by the gym first. We could do a little workout if you want, then i'll fix up your hair. Let me know if that's alright with you.**

Eren sighed. He hadn't worked out in a while, and he was a little worried about embarrassing himself. But he figured sure why not.

**Eren: Yea that sounds cool. I woke up a little late, so I may get there more by 12:30 or maybe 1 the latest. Sorry ^^""**

Brushing his teeth, Eren really hoped Levi wouldn't be upset about him being late, he was getting ready as fast as he could. Just as he was getting his razor to shave his face, he heard his phone go off.

**(Incoming Call-Levi)**

Eren furrowed his eyebrows, a little surprised Levi would call. He answered it though. "Hello?"

"_Hey. It's ok if you're a little late. What're doing right now?"_

Smiling, Eren said, "I was just about to shave. I'm getting a little tired of looking like a caveman."

Levi chuckled on the other end. _"I wouldn't say you look like a caveman. Just a scruffy brat. You just need to clean up a bit is all. Make sure to eat something too. I wanted to show you some moves."_

Eren was intrigued. Levi briefly explained to Eren he wanted to teach him some self-defense and Eren couldn't help but feel a little queasy. When he was younger he would've jumped at this opportunity. He decided if Levi was doing it though, it'd be ok.

After he was done getting dressed, in some grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt, Eren jumped in his HOnda and decided to get a platter from the local Jack in the box. It wasn't exactly the healthiest option, but he had no food in his place, and very little money on him.

After he ate, he quickly hit the road to LA, listening to some talk radio on KLOS LOS ANGELES. They played Dani California by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Eren was grateful that for once they were playing something good. Nodding his head to the beat the song ended just as he parked in front of Levi MMA gym.

Eren took a deep breath. He wasn' sure why all of a sudden Levi wanted to do this, but he figured a good workout wouldn't do any harm. He just hadn't engaged in much physical activity since…

_You fucking asshole! How fucking dare you!_

Oh man…

_We thought you were such a tough guy! Where's your balls now punk!_

Just stop…

_You're nothing but a fucking beta male! I'm the Alpha around here boy!_

Eren felt like he was about to hyperventilate at any moment when he almost jumped through the roof opf his car when he heard a knock on his windshield.

The knocker yelped. "Whoa! Sorry sweetie, I just saw you pull in, I wanted to say hi!"

Eren tried to reign in his gasping at realizing it was only that young woman Petra from yesterday. "Oh… Hi wassup!" He quickly got out of the car and locked it. He then gave her a quick hug. He liked her already she was so sweet.

Petra giggled. "You're so cute Eren! Come in, Levi's been waiting for you. I'm glad you're wearing work out clothes, he's just been warming up!

As they walked inside Eren couldn't help but wonder if Petra was involved with Levi. He remembered last night Levi saying he was single…

He saw alot of guys either punching heavy bags or lifting weights, jumping rope, and all kinds of activity. Now he was starting to feel intimidated. He would just look like a wuss in front of all these guys.

Before he could keep getting depressed about it, he heard Petra call out Levi's name and when Eren saw the man he couldn't help but gasp. Sure he saw Levi without his shirt on yesterday, but at the time he was only paying attention to the man's face. But his body was freaking _ripped!_

Levi was currently doing one armed pushups, the showoff, and Eren could see those muscles ripple as he pushed himself. Then he noticed Levi glance at him and said, "Hey brat. 'Bout time you showed up."

Blushing Eren muttered. "Sorry, like I said I woke up kinda late-"

"It's ok kid I was just teasing. Don't mind me." Levi then switched to doing push ups with _one finger_ and still kept talking to Eren. "So, you ate something for breakfast already right? What'd you eat?"

"Uh… Some Jack in the box…" Eren kept staring at Levi doing those awesome one finger push ups. Then he went ahead and said. "You know what, you're a damn show off!"

Levi smirked, then he stood up. Eren noticed he was wearing wrappings around his hands, and a dark green sweats. He rubbed his hands together and said, "Yea you're right. I'm not even gonna argue with you on that one. And Jack in the Crack? Really?" Levi walked on while Eren followed him.

Pouting, Eren decided to defend himself. "What? It's cheap, and I had eggs and bacon there. Well, I guess that's not so healthy huh…"

Levi went to grab a towel and rubbed the remaining sweat off his brow. "On the contrary eggs are very healthy, even bacon can be healthy, but it's all about the quality of the food brat. I'll help you out with your diet too, don't even worry about it."

Shrugging, Eren just said, "Ok, but eating healthy is expensive…"

"You have a comeback for everything huh? C'mon let's warm up." Levi then leads Eren over to an open space. Levi helped Eren to stretch, and he could see Eren struggle with properly stretching his inner thighs. "Try to go wider."

Eren huffed. "I haven't really stretched these muscles in a while. It hurts."

"I get it, but all the more reason to stretch them out so they can go. So spread 'em." Levi noticed Eren's face getting red from the exertion of just the stretching but he understood. Most people who led sedentary lifestyles found even stretching to be difficult. He then went behind Eren and decided to help him out. He then put his mouth next to his hear and put his hands on the boy's hips. "Lean into me if it's easier. It's important to open up those hips."

Eren jerked away, suddenly feeling hot for a different reason. "Sorry! I wasn't expecting you to do that!" The boy then laughed bashfully and rubbed his neck. He wasn't mad, he just genuinely was surprised Levi was so close.

Levi lifted up his hands in a placating gesture. "It's alright, I get it. I won't do it again, I promise."

"No, I don't mind if you do it. Really it's ok. I'm just kinda jumpy is all." Eren honestly didn't like people touching him, but for some reason, Levi was fine. He didn't bother thinking so much about that right now, and so he followed Levi's lead when it came to the workouts. They started off slow, after the stretches, Levi helped Eren with some pushups, and then he got him over to the weights.

Once again, Levi showed off how many weights he could lift. 500 pounds?! That was strongman strength, right?

Eren, of course, started off way, way lower than that. He was working on his bench press when he heard someone call out Levi's name. Levi told Eren he'd be right back, and jogged off. Eren worked on some more sets, when hew noticed Levi still hadn't gotten back yet. He decided to take a break and see where Levi was. He noticed the raven talking to another raven heard person, a girl.

Feeling curiousEren padded over to the two ravens, and stood awkwardly behind Levi. Eren then saw that the girl noticed him.

Levi turned around as he saw the girl's eyes shift behind him. "Oh, hey brat. Sorry I was talking to my cousin. You may know her actually. This is Mikasa."

Waving shyly, Eren mumbled a hello. He then squinted his eyes at her, and then he stepped closer to her. She was only a couple inches shorter than him, her hair was quite short too. He looked her up and down, feeling like he knew her from somewhere. "Yeah… I think I do know you…"

"I remember you. You gave me that red scarf when we were little. It's good to see you again." Mikasa then raised her hand up to give Eren a handshake. The boy blinked then gently clasped her hand. He stared at their hands dumbly as he was straining to get a memory out. Red scarf…

"Yeah, I remember. Mikasa coming home with a red scarf. Ring any bells kid?" Levi was watching Eren closely. He remembered the brat saying last night he had a hard time remembering things. He never did say why…

"It's coming back to me… A little bit…" Eren's eyebrows were furrowed in frustration.

Mikasa then said. "You can let go of my hand now."

"Oh! Sorry!" Eren snatched his hand away from hers like he'd been burned. Mikasa assured him it was alright, then she jogged off to the women's locker room.

"Hey Eren, I hope you don't mind, but Mikasa was telling me I need to cover the self-defense class for the day today. It's not going to take long, just an hour or an hour and a half at most. It's cuz one of my trainers Mike is out sick. How about you join the class?"

Eren hummed. "Well, I don't know if I could afford to do much more here-"

Levi sighed. "Eren, do you really think I'd be so sleazy to let you come into my gym, use up it's resources just so I could squeeze every last buck you have?" The raven couldn't help but smirk at seeing the boy get all flustered now and apologizing. "You don't have to apologize, but don't worry about the cost. It's all on the house. You can come here anytime you want."

As they headed over to another area in the gym where there was a small group of people gathered, Eren couldn't help feel a bit surprised and confused. So Levi was going to let him come here for free? Why? Sure they knew each other before, but he really didn't think he was that special.

Before he knew it, he and Levi were standing in front of the group and he jumped a little when Levi clasped his hands to get everybody's attention. "Alright everybody listens up! Your usual teacher Mike Zacharuis is out sick today, so I'll be your instructor for the afternoon. Rest assured, I know what I'm doing, and I'll give you the skills to keep you all safe."

Eren couldn't help but admire Levis' public speaking voice. He then noticed a short skin headed head raise his hand.

"Yes, Connie?"

The young man named Connie asked, "So are we going to pick off from fighting on the ground from last Friday? That was what Mike was teaching us."

Levi nodded. "Sure, we'll start with that. I kinda just got thrown into this, so I was just gonna have all of you beat the shit out of each other like Fight Club. Just kidding." Everyone in the group laughed.

Suddenly, Levi turned to Eren. "So, you wanna be my volunteer?"

Eren sputtered. "M-Me?! I'm not a certified instructor!" Eren was practically squeaking when Levi gently patted his back.

"Easy kid, I know. I meant you'd just be my partner to demonstrate. All you'd have to do is do what I say." The gentleness in Levi's eyes had Eren nodding his head before he even finished speaking. Reassured, Levi faced the group again and explained the exercise. He was going to demonstrate first before everyone got the chance to try it out for themselves. He said, "So, when you're in a street fight, you want to avoid the fight going to the ground as much as possible. The reasons are that the ground could have a number of shit on it like broken glass, rocks, and just the floor itself is hard and would be nasty to roll around in. However, sometimes it will be inevitable that a fight will go on the ground especially if you're facing someone like a wrestler. Let's say, for instance, I got Eren on the ground, he's on his back, and my foot is on his chest. This is a powerplay, especially if the guy is just standing there with his foot on you. Eren, please lay on the ground on your back."

Eren laid on the ground as Levi instructed, then he saw that Levi gently placed his foot on his chest. This wasn't so bad so far, until Eren looked up at Levi. All of sudden, Levi seems _huge_ looming over him like a monster, and Eren bit his tongue to keep from whimpering. Meanwhile, Levi was explaining the move he wanted Eren to do to the other group. Eren, however, wasn't paying any attention at all.

The only thing he could think about was, why was this guy holding him down? Why were all these people surrounding him and not doing anything about it? People were such pieces of shit. So long as there were drama and pain happening to someone else they didn't care, they treated it like they were watching a movie.

Eren was starting to hyperventilate once he noticed Levi crouch over him and growl, "Alright you piece of shit! Are you just gonna lay there like the little wuss you are, or are you going to be a man? Do something punk!"

Feeling like his eyes were going to explode out of his skull Eren grew terrified and confused. Why was Levi threatening him? Wasn't this just to be a demonstration? What was going on? How did he get here? Finally, Eren broke out of his trance and started thrashing under Levi whimpering and crying, "Let me go! Please don't hurt me, get off of me!"

Surprised at Eren's screeching, Levi took his foot off the boy and was about to help him up but Levi kept getting more shocked at seeing Eren crawl away from him on all fours trying to get away from him.

"Eren!" Levi ran over to the boy and as he reached him he was about to help him off but then Eren screamed, "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Levi stared at Eren eyes wide and hurt, then he noticed Miksas running over to them "Mikasa, take Eren inside my office! Calm him down for me please!"

The raven haired girl noticed Eren on the floor shaking like a leaf, she glanced at Levi questioningly. She didn't know what happened, she only came rushing from lifting weights when she heard someone scream bloody murder. She then helped Eren up, then led him to Levi's private office.

Sighing heavily, Levi faced the group who stared at him in shock, some people even glared at him in disgust. Great. 

* * *

"Ok, what the hell happened? Why are you so scared?" Mikasa sat Eren down then she sort of held her hands in the air uncertain whether she should touch Eren or not.

Still shaking Eren gaped, his mouth barely working. "I-I don't know… Levi said we were just demonstrating, then I spaced out, and then I was on the floor, and Levi was over me, then he started yelling at me-" choking back a sob, Eren put his hand over his mouth, trying to block out the images of violent memories. Men looming over him, screaming at him, his body rolling on the ground in pain.

Mikasa started to get pissed at Levi for scaring Eren so much. She was going to give him an earful when he got in there. She heard the door creak and saw Levi come in, with a black tank top on now and so she decided to let him have it.

Wrapping her arms around Eren she growled, "What the fuck Levi?"

Sighing again, Levi closed his eyes, then pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, Mikasa, I swear I wasn't trying to scare him, can you please leave the room so Eren and I can get some privacy?"

The girl looked at him like he grew a second head. She felt Eren stiffen in her arms then hugged him tighter. "No way! He obviously doesn't feel safe around you right now! I'm staying!"

Clenching his fists, Levi couldn't help but feel ashamed. "Fine." He then stepped over to Eren until he was right in front of him, but he backed off a bit once he saw Eren glancing up at him with fear. Levi tried to look less threatening by grabbing a chair and sitting in front of the boy.

"Ok, look Eren I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry, I didn't mean to scare you I swear on my life. I was explaining to the others what I wanted you to do, but I just wasn't clear enough. I'm a great fighter, but I rarely ever teach the self defense classes 'cuz I honestly kinda suck at explaining things. And I was much too aggressive with you, I was just trying to create a scenario for the people watching us. I went too far, and I'm going I'll make it up to you if you let me." Levi watched as Eren slowly stopped shaking and instead of fear, the boy's eyes filled with relief and trust again.

Relieved himself, Levi continued, "I am going to make it up to you. I'm gonna fucking spoil you from now on whether you like it or not. I still owe you a hair cut right?"

Eren chuckled at that, even when he was apologizing the man sounded rough, but Eren didn't care. The more he heard Levi speak and gazed into his silver eyes, the calmer and reassured he felt.

Mikasa still wasn't having it. "Yea, you should spoil him, but for right now, he should rest."

Eren looked over to her and said. "It's ok Mikasa, I'm fine now. I'm really sorry for causing such a scene over there." He turned to Levi. "I'm sorry too Levi. I fucking embarrassed you in there…"

"Hey, it's alright. I get it. A lot of people seem to think I'm a scary asshole but I promise I'm not trying to be." He glared at Miksas who seemed to roll her eyes at him.

Eren noticed and said, "You're very protective aren't you? I remember now, you always used to watch my back, and sometimes you would drag me away when you thought things were getting too much for me."

Blushing Mikasa muttered. "Oh, come on I wasn't that protective. You used to be such a dummy getting yourself in trouble, I can see that hasn't changed at all."

Laughing Eren agreed. "Yeah, you're right. I attract trouble like a magnet."

Levi smiled at the two, then he said, "Eren, I've been noticing that you seem to have a big problem with your memory. I know you mentioned it last night but, you didn't say it was this bad…"

Swallowing Eren shifted his eyes to the ground, then back to Levi, then the wall over there, then back to the ground. He knew this would come up eventually, but he really wasn't ion the mood to delve into it right now.

Sensing that now wasn't a good time to ask, Levi, sighed then said, "It's alright. We'll talk about it another time. Let's get you started on that hair cut." 

* * *

Eren sat in the washing chair. Levi insisted that they wash Eren's hair first, so the boy laid his head in the bowl, and watched Levi gather the shampoo and conditioner and other various items he would need. He heard the water turn on then jumped a bit once the cold water hit his scalp.

"Sorry, "Levi muttered. Is that better? The raven raised the water temperature and Eren nodded his head. He started to relax more once he felt Levi rinse his hair with the now warm water, and then he almost mewled in pleasure once he felt Levi's fingers lather the shampoo into his hair. Closing his eyes, Eren could feel Levi's talented fingers massaging his scalp, right along the underside, then gently but firmly pressing further atop his head, closer to his forehead, oh _yes!_

"You having fun there brat?" smirking, Levi saw Eren blushing at having been caught. The boy was practically _keening _at Levi's handiwork which Levi did on purpose because the man wasn't kidding when he said he was going to spoil the boy after the mishap earlier. He was going to spoil him regardless but still…

"Sorry, it just felt really good, like I was getting a massage." Eren then closed his eyes again once he felt Levi's fingers gently massage the of his skull right above his neck. Eren grunted and squirmed, it felt fucking great, but at the same time he hissed once he felt a little pain.

Levi rinsed the shampoo and conditioner out of Eren's hair with once hand, and with the other, he continued his ministrations on Eren's neck. "That's good. I just wanted to make sure you're well relaxed. I can feel a little ball of stress right here in your muscles. Maybe I should give you an actual massage…"

Gulping, Eren tried to imagine Levi massaging him, but quickly cut it off. "Yeah maybe… Sounds good…" He breathed in and out of his nose trying to calm down. He wasn't expecting this hair wash to get him so calm and nervous at the same time. Why…

Chuckling Levi turned off the water then lifted Eren to sit up. "Yeah, I think you need it kid, you're way too tensed for a guy your age. We don't want you getting gray hairs before I do." He then wrapped Eren's sopping wet hair in a towel then led the boy to his chair. Eren sat down in the comfy black leather chair then adjusted it to a height where Levi could cut his hair evenly. He unwrapped the towel, straightened out Eren's hair then got to work.

Eren closed his eyes, feeling Levi lift his hair here and there. He wasn't sure what the man was doing, however, he did tell Levi he wanted to keep his hair long, which Levi was more than fine with. He had told Eren that he pulled off the long hair look rather well and that when he was done with him, girls and guys would throw their panties off for him.

Eren had blushed hard at that. He honestly wasn't trying to catch anyone's attention, and Levi understood that. He had explained to Eren this was more for himself, and that it's good to look good to yourself as well. Besides, Eren couldn't remember the last time he went to get a hair cut, they always seemed to be so expensive, hence why he let his hair grow so long.

He then heard a blowdryer going off, and felt Levi running his figners thriough his hair, making last finishing touches with his scissors, then brushing Eren's hair, and they were done.

"Finito," Levi said in a heavy Italian accent. Again, Eren shivered at that, he noticed Lev's voice get even deeper speaking like that. The boy opened his eyes and nearly gasped at himself in the mirror. Was that really him? He looked so much more… Clean and neat than before. His hair was only cut an inch shorter to get rid of all the split ends, but it looked so shiny now, and more fuller. He shook his head a little and he could feel his hair shake loosely on his head, it felt so silky and free.

"So, you dig it brat? Because I think you look _fabulous._" This time Levi laid on a thick "gay" accent at the last part. Eren burst out laughing.

"Oh my god, Levi, this is… Thank you, my hair looks so beautiful, I can't believe it's mine! It doesn't look like a rats nest anymore!" Eren joked.

Levi unclasped the black smock around Eren then gently brushed off any stray hairs on the boy's shoulders. "I wouldn't have called it a rat's nest, but sometimes it just takes a little extra work to get yourself on fleek as they say." Levi's heart warmed at hearing the boy laugh heartily.

Eren stood up then he actually did a hair flip. "Loreal, because I'm worth it!"

Now it was Levi's turn to laugh. "Oh God, don't tell me you're gonna turn into one of those guys who constantly flips his hair at everyone!"

Eren turned around and did just that, flipping hair dramatically as he walked away sashaying his hips and Levi laughed even harder. 

* * *

Later Levi took Eren to a restaurant called Dino's Chicken and Burgers. It was a small place in close to downtown LA and they had the most delicious juicy broiled chicken. Eren hadn't been there since he was little, and he was honestly dying to go there.

The line was long, of course, Eren remembered now how the place was always packed, even the inside was packed. Levi said they could just eat in his car as long as they didn't make a mess.

They both got the chicken and the fries, plus the cheeseburgers with cokes. They sat in Levi's car with the windows open enjoying their food. They both couldn't stop moaning at the taste and for while didn't even speak to just enjoy their food for a bit.

"Damn, you're making me ruin my diet brat."

"What the fuck it was your idea to come here!"

"Yeah, but you didn't stop me!"

"Why the hell would I? You offered me free food!"

Levi chuckled, he thought Eren looked cute with his cheeks all puffed up from the food. They continued to talk about anything at that point. Levi talked a bit about how both businesses were going, and Eren talked about the crazy shenanigans that happened about his job. He told Levi about his friend Ymir who was a _raging_ lesbian, but that she was hilarious as hell.

Levi then mentioned his own lesbian friend Hanji, and how she drove him so crazy sometimes he almost shat a brick, and at that Eren _guffawed_. The boy couldn't stop laughing for over 10 minutes, and Levi himself had to laugh along with him it was so contagious. In between breaths, Eren explained that the way Levis said it with his deadpanned tone and his scowling face just made Eren lose it. They probably both looked insane laughing in the car so loud and hard but neither of them cared.

When the two finally calmed down, they both stared out into the busy streets of LA. Night had fallen again, and they both started snickering again when they saw a Hispanic lady screaming and cussing in Spanish at who appeared to be her husband trying to place a large chair into their van.

Levi groaned. "Ok, I'm not gonna lose my voice over laughing at every little thing. Jesus…" He rubbed his belly feeling absolutely full.

Eren glanced over at him then he gently placed his hand on Levi's belly, then he looked the man straight in the eye and said, "So hows our baby doing?"

Levi chuckled. "Oh, he's doing alright. I can feel him kicking right now. If anything, I should be giving birth tonight. If not tomorrow morning the latest."

Scrunching up his nose in playful disgust, Eren giggled. "You know, you keep him then. It's probably not even mine anyway."

Lifting an eyebrow and not missing a beat Levi countered, "Well, he's full of shit like you are, so he's yours for sure."

"Well damn excuse me!" Eren was having the time of his life right now. When was the last time he had fun? Probably when he and Ymir went to go to Santa Monica beach together, but that was last summer.

Levi then sighed. "So, wanna call it a night?"

Eren yawned stretching his long limbs as best as he could in the car. Nodding his head he felt extemely tired all of a sudden. He felt the car move and he must have dozed off for a bit, becasue then all of a sudden they were infront of Levi's salon again.

Sighing, Eren unbuckled his seat belt when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Levi gazing at him intently. Eren almost gasped.

Levi licked his lips, seeming to be unsure of what to say. "Are you, uh… You seem really tired, are you alright to drive home?"

Eren's face heat up. "Uh, yeah! Yeah I totally am, don't worry! I've driven home like this before, besides I took a little nap i'm all good!"

After another moment of just Levi staring at him the older man finally nodded his head. "Alright… I just want to make sure you'll get home safe. Text me when you're home brat."

Warmth. So fuzzy and so real it threatened to over flow the boy. Eren couldn't help himself and he hugged Levi _hard._ The holder man grunted in surprise and then Eren was out of the car and running towards his own. Levi watched Eren drive off, and he couldn't help but smile at seeing his boy so flustered.

_I meant it… Be safe brat…_

* * *

As Eren laid in bed for who knows how long, he couldn't help but rethink of his day with Levi. He ran his head through his silky hair and he could feel the muscles on his lips ache…

_Oh! I've got to text him!_ Whipping out his phone, Eren was absoluty delighted to see a text from Levi already.

**Levi: I hope you made it home safe brat. If you're still driving don't you dare respond to this text.**

Eren would never admit to anyone that he almost squealed. He then finally typed out a response.

**Eren: Dont giv urself a heartattk ol' man ;) But yes, im home safe. G'night :)**

**Levi: Christ, you brats today and your broken english. Come by the gym tomorrow i'll give you some more pointers. Night brat.**

**Eren: I will! G'night! ^^**

Yeah… Eren had a wonderful nights sleep, and for the first time in a long time happy to see tomorrow...


End file.
